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A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Wednesday, August 6 (game #1290).

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,100 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1291) - hint #1 - VowelsHow many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1291) - hint #2 - repeated lettersDo any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.

Quordle today (game #1291) - hint #3 - uncommon lettersDo the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #1291) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 3.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1291) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• P

• P

• C

• P

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1291) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1291, are…

• PLUNK
• PROXY
• CURVY
• PEARL

I have been on an incredibly long winning streak, so I'm choosing to be not too disheartened by today’s loss.

I got off to a terrible start, with just two correct letters from my usually reliable starter words and I’m actually pretty pleased that I came so close, especially as we had a rare letter.

It is a bit annoying, though, that I guessed “curry” when a word containing the letter V was what I was looking for. Quordle absolutely adores the letter V.

Daily Sequence today (game #1291) - the answers

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1291, are…

• GLORY
• FUZZY
• SMILE
• GROWN

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1290, Wednesday, 6 August: RISKY, APART, FAUNA, HANDY
• Quordle #1289, Tuesday, 5 August: ROAST, SLICK, AUDIT, BILLY
• Quordle #1288, Monday, 4 August: MACAW, SINCE, COLON, CHIRP
• Quordle #1287, Sunday, 3 August: MOTIF, LEERY, LOFTY, BURST
• Quordle #1286, Saturday, 2 August: WARTY, PUPAL, CLEAR, SLICE
• Quordle #1285, Friday, 1 August: ACTOR, MEALY, WIDTH, ADOBE
• Quordle #1284, Thursday, 31 July: STYLE, VALET, AGONY, ALLOY
• Quordle #1283, Wednesday, 30 July: DEBAR, ADMIN, FOLIO, USAGE
• Quordle #1282, Tuesday, 29 July: BATCH, TOPIC, MURKY, BUNCH
• Quordle #1281, Monday, 28 July: CANDY, TRYST, SHIRT, FORGO
• Quordle #1280, Sunday, 27 July: TRAWL, BALER, PIANO, MINCE
• Quordle #1279, Saturday, 26 July: MUDDY, SAINT, KINKY, POLAR
• Quordle #1278, Friday, 25 July: BONUS, RESIN, CEDAR, MADAM
• Quordle #1277, Thursday, 24 July: AGONY, VERVE, GLEAN, MINUS
• Quordle #1276, Wednesday, 23 July: OZONE, PENCE, ROOMY, WIDER
• Quordle #1275, Tuesday, 22 July: OPTIC, GIDDY, VOCAL, ADULT
• Quordle #1274, Monday, 21 July: KNEED, SNAIL, PINTO, FEAST
• Quordle #1273, Sunday, 20 July: GRACE, COUNT, EGRET, GIANT
• Quordle #1272, Saturday, 19 July: EARLY, CLICK, TRITE, SPREE

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day will feature practical web-swinging
• It's the first time it's been used in one of the webslinger's solo MCU movies
• Marvel fans think a Wolverine foe might join the film's extensive rogues gallery

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is bringing back one of the best aspects of the Andrew Garfield-led films – but some fans are more concerned about yet another villain who might appear in the Marvel movie.

With filming in full, erm, swing on the wallcrawler's next big-screen outing in Glasgow, which is being used as a stand-in for New York City (NYC), Spider-Man devotees have flocked to the Scottish city to catch a glimpse of the fan-favorite superhero. Just days into the Marvel Phase 6 film's lengthy shoot, we've got confirmation that it'll feature the long-overdue return of practical web-swinging.

A post shared by Movies Effects (@movies.effects)

A photo posted by on

As you'll see from the fan-shot footage above – thanks to Movie Effects for rounding up said footage into a single video – at least one Brand New Day set-piece will include Spidey physically swinging through NYC.

Here's another angle, courtesy of YouTube user Jack Lewis, of one of Spider-Man 4's action sequences being filmed:

Practical web-swinging was used in Garfield's two outings as the iconic webhead. However, that changed when Tom Holland's version of the character was introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.

Since then, Spider-Man's solo movies and appearances in the two latest Avengers flicks have featured CGI recreations of Peter Parker's alter-ego swinging through his home city. Thankfully, Brand New Day director Daniel Destin Cretton wants to bring back that feeling of Spidey traversing NYC as practically as possible. That's a far cry from Jon Watts' stance on the matter, with the filmmaker behind the hero's first three MCU movies telling Collider that physical web-swinging is "boring" and "looks dumb".

Is Spider-Man 4 teasing a Silver Samurai appearance or an armored Mr. Negative?

Hugh Jackman's iconic mutant faced a version of Silver Samurai in 2013's The Wolverine movie (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

As you'd expect, most Marvel fans are delighted to see practical web-swinging return in Brand New Day. There's a small contingent, though, who are fiercely debating the potential appearance from Silver Samurai, a villain more commonly associated with iconic X-Men character Wolverine, is Spider-Man's fourth standalone MCU flick.

Yesterday (August 5), screenshots of the Pinterest account owned by Brand New Day costume designer Monica Avitto showed an image album labeled 'Spider-Man'. In it, numerous photographs of ancient Japanese attire can be seen, including samurai armor, Edo period hachi-gane, and ninja-inspired costumes.

Monica Avitto, the costume prop modeler for ‘SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY’, has created a moodboard for the film’s villain. pic.twitter.com/unYZGfRy9SAugust 5, 2025

Predictably, some observers immediately suggested that Silver Samurai is set to appear. After all, this villain is the most recognizable shogunate-influenced character in Marvel Comics, so it has to be him, right?

If you believe a fair number of commentators on this Reddit thread, yes – but not everyone thinks that'll be the case. Indeed, some think Mister Negative, a relatively recent addition to Spider-Man's rogues gallery who's rumored to make his live-action debut in Brand New Day, is the reason for Avitto's research. As Redditor Strong_Salad3460 rightly points out in the aforementioned thread: "It couldn't possibly have anything to do with Mr. Negative and the Inner Demons [the name of Mr. Negative's gang] who are known to wear Samurai inspired masks and wield katanas."

Until Marvel and/or Sony give us more official details, or more set leaks hit the internet, this debate will rage on for a while yet. But, what do you think? Could we see Silver Samurai in Spider-Man 4? Or is an armored Mr. Negative going to show up instead? Let me know in the comments.

For now, read my dedicated guide on Spider-Man: Brand New Day and check out the section below for the latest news on one of next year's most exciting new movies, which arrives in theaters on July 31, 2026.

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Our sister site Tom's Hardware has long been one of the premier online destinations for news, reviews and analysis around the PC and semiconductor industry – and it's now had a major upgrade to make it even better.

For a small fee, Tom's Hardware Premium will offer members a wealth of extra content including exclusive features and interviews, hardware roadmaps and the new member-only newsletter Uptime.

You'll also get access to the site's new Bench feature; this is a seriously powerful new benchmarking tool that covers categories such as CPUs, GPUs, and laptops and that enables readers to explore individual test results and directly compare products.

What's more, the brand's commitment to free-to-consume tech journalism remains; nothing that already exists on the site is being put behind the paywall, and Tom's Hardware reviews will remain free.

How much will all of this goodness cost? A mere $69 for a one-year subscription right now as an introductory offer.

"For nearly three decades, Tom’s Hardware has served the enthusiast community with authoritative advice and insights based on years of experience and in-depth knowledge, and testing," says Paul Alcorn, Interim Editor-in-Chief, Tom’s Hardware. "Now we aim to take it to the next level"

"Think of our subscription service as a backstage pass that will give you a new level of access and insight into the inner workings of the tech world. Our Tom’s Hardware Premium subscription will provide you with even deeper analysis and perspective on the latest news and features, along with access to the most comprehensive and up-to-date benchmarking database available.

"This service will ultimately enable us to invest more time in the painstaking analysis and data collection that define our brand, while also enabling us to expand the scope and depth of our coverage, bringing you along with us as we explore the latest and greatest in the industry.

"We’re incredibly excited to launch Tom’s Hardware Premium and share it with the community that’s been with us every step of the way. We can’t wait for you to experience what we’ve been building and to continue shaping the future of Tom’s Hardware with you."

Tom's Hardware Premium has launched in Beta mode today, and to give it a look you can sign up here.

Tom's Hardware Premium: what you get

(Image credit: Future)

• Dedicated news analysis
• Exclusive features & interviews
• Uncut Q&A sessions with industry execs
• Access to Uptime, a brand-new member newsletter
• Unlocked access to Bench, a tool built on TH's benchmarking database

Disney's streaming businesses will merge next year.

• PBS confirms a data leak affecting almost 4,000 people
• Someone shared a database on Discord, apparently to act "cool"
• The potential for abuse is there, so users should beware

Iconic US television network PBS has been hacked, and lost valuable contact information on its employees and affiliates.

However, the attack doesn’t seem to have been done out of malice, but rather curiosity, and the desire to be “cool”.

Recently, a database started circulating on Discord servers, allegedly containing PBS corporate contact information. The database was not present on any dark web forums, data extortion sites, or anything similar, but was being shared on a channel “PBS Kids”, where fans of PBS children’s shows get together to chat.

"Rebellious curiosity"

BleepingComputer investigated the database, and confirmed it contained information on almost 4,000 PBS employees and affiliates.

It came in the form of a JSON file, with each record containing an employee name, corporate email, title, timezone, department, location, job function, hobbies, and the name of the supervisor.

PBS confirmed the authenticity of the leak, saying young adults, teenagers, and kids, are sharing it “more out of a sense of novelty, rebellious curiosity, or simply to gain a bit of notoriety within their peer groups."

"It's less about exploiting the data for financial gain and more about the 'cool factor' of possessing it,” the company said.

That doesn’t mean the archives can’t be picked up by actual malicious actors and used for devastating phishing attacks.

PBS seems to be well aware of the potential for abuse, and has reached out to affected individuals to warn them about potential attacks, scams, and incoming fraud.

PBS, or Public Broadcasting Service, is a non-profit, public television network in the United States. It doesn’t produce shows itself, but rather distributes content created by member stations and independent producers.

One of its most famous programs is Sesame Street which, in the meantime, migrated to HBO and Max.

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Catch the original Naked Gun, classics like Serpico and Stalker and dozens of other titles, all for free this month.

• Windows 10's Game Bar has reportedly been hit with a nasty bug
• The Game Bar crashes when trying to access its options
• For those with Ryzen 3D V-Cache CPUs, this means they can't properly configure them for the best gaming performance

Gamers running Windows 10 with a high-end AMD Ryzen 3D V-Cache processor are suffering at the hands of an apparent bug that messes with the Game Bar, and hampers these chips as a result.

German tech site PC Games Hardware (PCGH) reports (via Neowin) that there's a problem with Windows 10 whereby the Game Bar - an overlay that carries a bunch of useful game-related settings - is crashing when you access the options to configure the mentioned Ryzen CPUs properly with any given game.

Top-end Ryzen X3D chips with 12 or 16 cores (like the Ryzen 9900X3D or 9950X3D) have two chiplets, only one of which has the 3D V-Cache on top (that boosts gaming performance). So, to ensure these run PC games with the fastest possible frame rates, it's necessary to manually flag them as a game (ticking 'Remember this is a game') in said options.

If the Game Bar crashes when trying to access the options, obviously, you can't do this, and therefore, those encountering this bug are having their games run sub-optimally on these particular chips.

Note that it is only 12 and 16-core X3D models - the 8-core versions of 3D V-Cache CPUs are fine, as they don't have two chiplets, and the cache applies to all their cores (and obviously other Ryzen processors don't have any of this game-boosting cache, anyway). Further note that the Game Bar itself works fine; it's just clicking on the options that causes a crash to happen.

An editor at PCGH claims that they were hit by this bug - even reinstalling Windows 10 didn't help as a possible (drastic) cure - and other gamers on the website's forum also reported the same experience.

Notably, these were people not running Windows 10 Home, but Windows 10 Pro or an enterprise version (which some PC enthusiasts are using for the longer support timeframe).

However, Neowin, which picked up on this report, also says it could reproduce the problem, though it doesn't specify which version of Windows 10 was running in this case. (And given that, I imagine it's not Home - as they would have said - but Windows 10 Pro most likely).

(Image credit: Future / John Loeffler)Analysis: Whispers about 'sabotage'

Okay, so these are just scattered reports at the moment, and it seems, though we can't confirm, that Windows 10 Home isn't affected. This is a niche problem, then - specific to heavyweight Ryzen X3D CPUs and Windows 10 Pro or enterprise versions - but there are enough reports for it to be worrying.

Is this just a temporary glitch that's crept in with a recent version of the Game Bar, one that Microsoft will iron out? Possibly, but we've not even had confirmation of the bug yet, so we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Whatever the case, it's more fuel to the fire for those suggesting, without proof, that Microsoft is somehow quietly sabotaging Windows 10 as its End of Life comes near, in an effort to cajole those diehards sticking with the older OS to upgrade to Windows 11 (this comes on top of those recent accusations of tech extortion you may recall, too).

I don't think that any kind of 'sabotage' is afoot here, but at the same time, with Windows 10 about to slide into irrelevance come October 2025, there are certainly fewer reasons for Microsoft to worry about keeping the OS fully in shape for all users - and less impetus in general to investigate more niche issues like this apparent Game Bar-breaking bug.

For now, we'll just have to watch this space - and, obviously, this isn't a problem on Windows 11, in case you didn't guess already that.

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• Roku has launched a new paid-for streaming service
• Howdy was made available on August 5, 2025, in the US
• It costs $2.99 a month and is only accessible via the Roku platform for now

Roku has launched a new ad-free streaming service that lets you access 10,000 hours of movies and TV shows for just $2.99 per month.

The new service was made available to those in the US on August 5, 2025, and while Roku operates its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) – The Roku Channel – in other regions around the world, it's not yet clear whether the ad-free version will launch elsewhere.

The new streaming service is "priced at less than a cup of coffee," Roku's founder and CEO Anthony Wood said in a statement alongside the announcement, where he also clarified that although it's cheaper than Netflix, Disney+, and other rivals, it's "designed to complement, not compete with, premium services".

Despite Wood's comments, the aggressively cheap pricing of the ad-free platform does mean it technically does rival the best streaming services. With content from Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise, alongside select Roku Original titles, the new service does have a competitive offering at an attractive price point.

Of course, many can still access The Roku Channel to watch live TV channels, and its library of on-demand movies and shows via Roku-supported devices or the Roku app or website. As one of the best free streaming services, it is one of the most popular FAST services around. But Howdy offers a way to access this same content and more without having to put up with ads.

How to watch movies and shows on Howdy

Howdy will be accessible on the Roku platform at launch, which means if you have one of the best streaming devices or best TVs that support the Roku operating system (OS) then you'll be able to access the new service.

Roku has said that it plans to roll out the service on mobile and additional platforms in the "near future," but has not clarified how soon that might be, so for the moment, you'll only be able to try it out on select devices.

I haven't been able to try out the service yet myself to confirm what's available to watch, but Roku has said that Howdy's library will include some of its original content alongside movies and shows from Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery, and FilmRise.

These include movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, which is only available to stream on Netflix in the US, and The Blind Side, which isn't available to stream anywhere at the time of writing. Roku has also said that shows like Weeds and Kids in the Hall will also be streamable on Howdy – both of which are currently available on The Roku Channel.

Whether more titles from its FAST service will move over to Howdy is unclear, but it would make sense considering that the new service offers a way to watch these movies and shows without having to put up with ads.

Howdy's library will also consist of "iconic rom-coms, medical dramas, ‘90s comedy, feel-good classics, and more," according to Roku, so we can expect there to be quite a mix of genres in the catalog.

You'll only be able to access Howdy by paying to sign up for the streaming service, as Roku has said that there will be no introductory or free trial offers, but you will be able to cancel at any time if you decide that it's not right for you.

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• A scammer tricked a Cisco employee into granting access to a CRM
• The attacker then used the access to exfiltrate sensitive data
• Affected customers were notified "where required by law"

Cisco has admitted recently suffering a cyberattack which saw it lose a whole lot of customer data, including personally identifiable information (PII).

In a short announcement published on its website, the company revealed a threat actor used voice phishing (vishing) to trick a Cisco representative and gain access to an instance of a third-party cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system it uses.

Following the intrusion, Cisco launched an investigation, which determined sensitive customer data was extracted.

Passwords are safe

“Our investigation has determined that the exported data primarily consisted of basic account profile information of individuals who registered for a user account on Cisco.com (name, organization name, address, Cisco assigned user ID, email address, phone number, and account-related metadata – such as creation date),” Cisco said.

“The actor did not obtain any of our organizational customers’ confidential or proprietary information, or any passwords or other types of sensitive information. Cisco did not identify any impact to our products or services, and no other Cisco CRM instances were affected.”

Cisco said that affected users were notified “where required by law”, but did not mention if the data was being used in the wild. Crooks can either sell it on the dark web, try to extort Cisco, or use it to target the company’s customers with custom-built, convincing phishing attacks.

Vishing is a form of phishing done over the phone, and usually revolves around the criminal convincing the victim they’re someone they’re not (an IT technician, a bank employee, or a government agent).

Knowing that the individuals are, or were, Cisco customers, threat actors can spoof the company and send emails that trick the victims into making payments, sharing login credentials, or downloading malware.

Cisco users should be wary of any incoming emails, especially those claiming to come from the company and carrying a sense of urgency with them.

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Commentary: Apple may take a page out of Samsung's book and bring a thin design to its long-rumored foldable. It could be the innovation leap it so desperately needs.

Get your heart rate and fitness levels up with these go-to cardio exercises.

• Apple has just released the iOS 26 beta 5 update
• It contains numerous tweaks to the iPhone operating system
• It might also have leaked the Apple Watch Ultra 3’s display resolution

Apple has just released iOS 26 beta 5, and this latest iPhone update comes with a bunch of handy new features. But among the tweaks and adjustments is an unexpected leak, and it sheds light on what we might see when the Apple Watch Ultra 3 launches later this year.

According to iOS investigator and analyst Aaron Perris (via MacRumors), the iOS 26 beta 5 update seems to contain references to the display resolution of Apple’s upcoming Ultra 3 smartwatch. That will sit at a resolution of 422x514 pixels, Perris claims.

That’s a slight increase over the 410x502 pixels you’ll find in the Apple Watch Ultra 2. While it’s not a huge step up, any increase in resolution will be a welcome addition – particularly since Apple pitches the Ultra line of smartwatches as being designed for athletes and rugged explorers who need as much display clarity as possible.

MacRumors points out that there haven’t been any rumors indicating that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 might get a larger display than its predecessor, suggesting that Apple might instead opt to reduce the display bezels and use the same chassis as before. That would follow the pattern Apple has taken with its regular Apple Watch models, where display bezels have shrunk significantly over the years.

Changes galore

(Image credit: TechRadar)

A new Apple Watch resolution is not the only addition found in the iOS 26 beta 5 update. Elsewhere, Apple has added an option to the Settings app that restores the old way of switching between photo and video modes in the Camera app. You’ll also find that the Select button has been restored to the top-left corner of the Mail app.

And Apple has also added new icons and animations. That includes a Liquid Glass-style AirDrop icon, plus much more bouncy animations when swiping and navigating through your phone. There are also fresh splash screens for apps like Apple Music, Journal, Notes, and more.

Unlike previous iOS 26 betas, this update does not adjust the look and feel of the Liquid Glass redesign. Past tweaks have increased or reduced the glassy effect across a range of operating system elements, but the lack of changes this time suggests that Apple might have settled on something it’s happy with.

The full version of iOS 26 is expected to launch in September, right around the time Apple unveils the iPhone 17 range. And with the Apple Watch Ultra 3 expected to be among the new products, we could soon find out if the leaked display resolution is on the money.

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• The iPhone 17 series could be unveiled on September 9
• It might then ship on September 19
• We've detailed five of the biggest changes you can expect from these phones

We’ve long predicted – based on Apple’s usual patterns – that the iPhone 17 series would be announced on September 8, 9, or 10, and now a leak agrees with us, while also getting more specific.

According to “internal information from German mobile phone providers” shared by iphone-ticker.de (via GSMArena), the iPhone 17 series – including the iPhone 17 itself, the iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max – will be unveiled on Tuesday, September 9.

They add that these phones will then apparently ship a week and a half later, on Friday, September 19.

While we’d take these claims with a pinch of salt, it is believable that major retailers would now have this information. Plus, it fits with our own predictions, and doesn’t conflict with any other leaks, so for now we’d say September 9 looks to be the most likely announcement date.

In which case, there’s only just over a month to wait for Apple’s next handsets, and these phones are likely to be worth the wait, as numerous upgrades and changes have been tipped. Below, we’ve listed five of the biggest changes we’re expecting.

1. A new design

An unofficial iPhone 17 Pro render (Image credit: AppleInsider)

Perhaps the biggest change tipped for the iPhone 17 line is a visual one, with numerous sources suggesting these handsets will get a redesign.

The main change is likely to come to the camera block, which will reportedly run across the entire width of the back on most models, giving these phones a more Google Pixel 9-like appearance.

This change could allow for more of a two-tone color scheme, too, with the large camera block being glossy while the rest of the rear is more matte.

2. An iPhone 17 Air instead of an iPhone 17 Plus

An unofficial iPhone 17 Air render (Image credit: Front Page Tech / ‪@Zellzoi‬)

Another big rumored change is the replacement of the Plus model with an iPhone 17 Air. This new model will reportedly be far slimmer than any previous iPhone, likely coming in at around 5.5mm thick, which would make it a more direct rival to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

However, as a result of being so slim, it might also have a small battery, and is thought to have just one rear camera.

So, it’s a phone that might prioritize style over specs, though it could still have a large 6.7-inch screen like the iPhone 16 Plus.

3. A 120Hz refresh rate for every model

The iPhone 16 Plus has a 60Hz screen (Image credit: Future)

Apple has continued to stick with 60Hz screens on the base iPhones, despite most mid-range Android phones having had 120Hz screens for years now. But with the iPhone 17 line, Apple might finally be getting with the times.

Numerous reports suggest that all four expected models will have a 120Hz display, which should make scrolling feel smoother.

However, one source claims that while the screens will all be 120Hz, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air still won’t have a variable refresh rate, meaning that, unlike their Pro siblings, they probably wouldn’t support always-on display, as this needs a very low refresh rate to function without demolishing the battery. Either way, though, giving them a 120Hz refresh rate would definitely be an upgrade.

4. New cameras

The iPhone 16 Pro Max (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The iPhone 17 series is also rumored to be getting some new cameras, with every model set to benefit.

For one thing, all four expected iPhone 17 models will apparently have a 24MP front-facing camera, giving you twice the megapixels of the current 12MP one. We’ve also heard that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a 48MP telephoto camera, which would be up from just 12MP on the current models.

Some less likely but still possible upgrades we’ve heard about include 8K video recording for the Pro models, and a mechanical aperture for at least one iPhone 17 model. That latter upgrade would allow you to adjust the aperture, and therefore also the depth of field.

And there are also some rumored camera upgrades that we’re not convinced we’ll see but can’t totally rule out, including an 8x optical zoom for the iPhone 17 Pro models and a second Camera Control button for all four models.

5. A big boost in power

Death Stranding on the iPhone 16 Pro (Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Finally, one totally unsurprising but still appreciated upgrade that we’re hearing about is a power boost thanks to a new chipset.

Specifically, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a new A19 Pro chipset, while the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air could have an A19 chipset. In all cases, that should be an improvement, as the current models use A18 or A18 Pro chipsets.

Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and possibly also the iPhone 17 Air could have 12GB of RAM – up from 8GB in the iPhone 16 series.

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• Critical security vulnerabilities have been identified in Broadcom chips
• These flaws leave Dell devices containing the chips at risk
• The resulting attack has been dubbed 'ReVault', and users should patch now

A host of critical security flaws in Broadcom chips could mean tens of millions of Dell laptops and other devices are at risk of possible attack.

The serious vulnerabilities have been found in over 100 models of Dell laptops with Broadcom chips, Cisco Talos has revealed, and are therefore at risk of an attack the researchers dubbed ‘ReVault’.

A ReVault attack could be used ‘as a physical compromise to bypass Windows Login and/or for any local user to gain Admin/System privileges’, allowing a hacker to steal sensitive information and credentials, as well as biometric data like fingerprint information.

Dell laptops at risk

These flaws could have a ‘significant’ impact on victims, and Cisco Talos reports two primary attack scenarios; a physical attack, and a post-compromise pivot.

As the name suggests, the physical attack refers to a local attacker with access to the victim’s device gaining direct access to the USH board over USB with a custom connector.

From there, the vulnerabilities become ‘in-scope for the attacker without requiring the ability to log-in into the system or knowing a full-disk encryption password’. If a system is configured to be unlocked with biometric data, it could be possible to adjust the CV firmware to allow any fingerprint rather than just legitimate users.

In a post-compromise pivot, users without administrative privileges can use the CV firmware to trigger Arbitrary Code Execution, and potentially leak ‘key material essential to the security of the device’ and then gain the ability to modify the firmware permanently.

Dell confirmed that customers have been notified about available updates that address the vulnerabilities; “Working with our firmware provider, we addressed the issues quickly and transparently disclosed the reported vulnerabilities in accordance with our Vulnerability Response Policy.”

“Customers can review the Dell Security Advisory DSA-2025-053 for information on affected products, versions, and more. As always, it is important that customers promptly apply security updates that we make available and move to supported versions of our products to ensure their systems remain secure.”

It’s not yet clear if these vulnerabilities have been exploited in the wild, but users are of course advised to patch urgently to address them, as well as to regularly rotate passwords and use MFA where possible.

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By the end of episode 4, we knew Conrad’s point of view (POV) was going to be the crux of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 5, and the move was smart enough to make it one (if not, the) of the best episodes in the show’s entire history. If there was ever a moment in the show’s sordid love triangle to emotionally eviscerate us, this was it, with Conrad (Christopher Briney) having to watch his unrequited love Belly (Lola Tung) become even more invested in his wayward brother Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), all the while teased by flashbacks of Belly and Conrad’s romantic past.

If this wasn’t bad enough, the latest episode of the hit Prime Video show also follows Conrad losing his mom after her battle with breast cancer, with their final scenes together before her memorial peppered in between the romantic angst. I’ve made no secret of the fact I feel incredibly sorry for him – and also wish he didn’t have these feelings, but the heart wants what the heart wants – but season 3 episode 5 drew my eye to someone else entirely.

Right from the start of The Summer I Turned Pretty, Belly has been the person who’s dragged us into this colossal mess in the first place. But her decisions are no longer having a superficial effect, with Conrad set to crumble in front of our very eyes. With this in mind, it’s probably time we all admit the ugly truth: Belly is an absolutely terrible character, and we’d all probably be better off with her out of the picture (in a non-sinister way).

Sorry, but Belly shouldn’t coming back from The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 5

shut the entire show off. delete the episode. #TheSummerITurnedPretty pic.twitter.com/v2LNnmHMPPAugust 6, 2025

Don’t just take my word for it, check out these pretty enraged fan reactions to The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 episode 5. While the flashbacks of Conrad and Belly in bed together are the ultimate knife in the back, present-day scenes of Conrad metaphorically setting himself on fire to try and make Belly’s life easier are just as painful. Obviously, she takes no notice of his efforts, instead engrossed in her dead-end future with Jeremiah (featuring the worst engagement ring ever seen with the naked eye).

me whenever belly and jeremiah: #TheSummerITurnedPretty pic.twitter.com/CkyyQGAtspJuly 30, 2025

If The Summer I Turned Pretty wasn’t a work of fiction, the answer to how to straighten out the chaos would be obvious. While it’s clear Belly is a lost cause, the right people could be around Conrad to make him see his own worth – or at the very least, invest in some worthwhile therapy. The same goes for Jeremiah, who desperately needs to get his life back on track in order to be attractive to himself, and to women.

Sadly, none of this makes for good TV, so Prime Video would need to resort to more drastic measures to sort things out. I don’t think it’s above Belly to take off in a mega strop and never be seen again, especially considering the way she talks to her mom. If she gets last-minute cold feet before actually getting married, Belly could easily run away from everything and everyone… and as cruel as that is, I wouldn’t be too bothered if she did.

Given that season 3 is the final farewell for The Summer I Turned Pretty, the remaining episodes have to go out with a big bang. Could the TV show veer away from the books and surprise us all with a shock Belly departure? If Prime Video had any sense, they’d keep Conrad and Belly apart for good and teach their young, impressionable viewers a valuable lesson (don’t get married to selfish boys, kids).

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• Perplexity's AI chatbot will both find and book restaurant tables through OpenTable
• The conversational approach streamlines the process of fulfilling requests for the details of the location and when it has an opening
• Perplexity hopes the integration will encourage people to stay on the platform rather than needing to leave to complete a task

AI search engine Perplexity wants to do more than just find your next restaurant; it wants to book your table. Perplexity made a deal with OpenTable to embed the reservation tool into Perplexity. Instead of just providing links to restaurants to help you reserve a table, you can get a spot at any of OpenTable’s more than 60,000 restaurants within the conversation.

The first part of the process is the same as before in Perplexity. Ask for “a quiet Thai place in Brooklyn that’s good for vegetarians and has outdoor seating,” and it’ll serve up a filtered list of OpenTable options that match your requested decor, dietary needs, and vibe. If you see a location you'd like to go to that is available through OpenTable, there will be a “Reserve” button for when you want to go, and you’re done. Instead of hopping from search to decision to reservation, you now get everything in one conversation.

Dining Perplexity

The deal encourages people to stick around on Perplexity to make their dinner plans, part of a bigger trend where AI platforms try to not just provide information, but complete tasks. Booking a table might seem like a small thing, but the magic lies in collapsing all the invisible steps between wanting to find a place to go and actually doing so.

The normal route might involve a half-hour of browsing, second-guessing, and refreshing OpenTable to see what’s still available. With Perplexity’s new system, you describe the scenario and watch it solve itself. Under the hood, OpenTable’s own AI Concierge handles most of the work. It draws on each restaurant’s metadata, including menus, seating arrangements, and any tags attached to its listing on OpenTable, and uses that to give Perplexity more precise recommendations.

Perplexity shows the restaurant, available times, and then OpenTable handles the booking itself, complete with confirmation and any options to modify or cancel. It’s not an autonomous agent like ChatGPT's Agent Mode. It smooths the path between the two services but doesn't travel between them like an Agent would.

That's probably for the best since Perplexity can occasionally misunderstand your request or over-promise based on incomplete restaurant data, but OpenTable won't book you a table that's not available. And while OpenTable’s restaurant profiles are usually rich in detail, they still rely on restaurants to keep things accurate.

From OpenTable’s perspective, this is a distribution move. Putting their booking infrastructure into Perplexity’s flow gives them access to a new set of users. Instead of trying to win attention in a crowded app race, OpenTable becomes part of a platform people are already using. As AI assistants continue to evolve, expect more of these seamless handoffs between search, decision, and action. Booking a table might just be the beginning; better reserve your spot now.

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• Pandora notified its customers of a data breach
• Hackers stole people's names and email addresses
• Unconfirmed reports named ShinyHunters as perpetrators

Jewelry powerhouse Pandora has confirmed suffering a cyberattack which saw it lose sensitive customer information.

The company revealed the news in a data breach notification letter sent to affected customers which said, “We are writing to inform you that Pandora has experienced a cyber security attack, where some customer information was accessed through a third-party platform that we use.

“We want to reassure you that the attack has been stopped, and as a result we have further strengthened our security measures.”

ShinyHunters

Pandora stressed that “only very common types” of data were exfiltrated - names, and email addresses. Passwords, credit card details, and similar confidential data was not taken.

The company also said that its investigation determined that the data has not yet been abused, but it recommends users stay vigilant, and keep track of unsolicited email messages, or online interactions asking for their data.

“Therefore, we recommend that you do not click on links or download attachments from unknown sources,” it said.

The company did not say who the threat actors were, how they managed to access Pandora’s networks, or how many people were affected by this incident.

However BleepingComputer claims the attack was most likely the work of ShinyHunters who broke into Pandora’s Salesforce database.

According to the publication, ShinyHunters has been looking for a way into corporate Salesforce databases since January 2025 and have been using different social engineering and phishing tactics.

Apparently, one worked, and ShinyHunters are now saying they will “perform a mass sale or leak” of companies that decline to pay the ransom.

Salesforce, on the other hand, confirmed that its solutions were not compromised.

"Salesforce has not been compromised, and the issues described are not due to any known vulnerability in our platform. While Salesforce builds enterprise-grade security into everything we do, customers also play a critical role in keeping their data safe — especially amid a rise in sophisticated phishing and social engineering attacks," Salesforce told the publication.

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• Samsung has confirmed more One UI 8 schedule details
• The Galaxy S25 phones will get a full update in September
• One UI 8 Watch will hit older watches later in the year

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 launched with One UI 8 (based on Android 16) preinstalled, and the rollout for older phones isn't far off: Samsung has confirmed the Galaxy S25 series is going to get the software update in September.

Samsung confirmed the news in a press release, which also announced the ongoing One UI 8 beta program will expand to the Galaxy S24, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6 next week, before reaching more devices next month.

The testing phase for One UI 8 started back in May – and not long after the official introduction of One UI 7 in fact. Samsung is clearly keen to catch up to Google's Android launch schedule, which has been shifted further forward this year.

Among the features the software update brings with it are upgrades to Bluetooth audio (enabling multiple, simultaneous connections), improved sharing options, more capabilities for the Now Bar, and upgrades to on-device security.

Watch this space

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 comes with One UI 8 Watch (Image credit: Samsung)

One UI 8 is going to be accompanied at some point by the One UI 8 Watch update for the best Samsung watches, but it looks as though the wait for that will be a little longer – it's going to arrive "later in the year" Samsung says.

You can already get One UI 8 Watch on your wrist, but only on a select number of models: the brand new Galaxy Watch 8 or Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, the refreshed Galaxy Watch Ultra for 2025, or the original Galaxy Watch Ultra launched in 2024.

As is the case with the phones and their software update, there is a beta available for watches too – but at the time of writing it's only available for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 series and only if you're in the US or Samsung's home country of South Korea.

One UI 8 Watch brings with it a selection of useful upgrades, including new tools for monitoring sleep and improving your runs, and antioxidant measurements. More improvements, including Gemini AI, could be on the way too.

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• It seems as though game prices will remain variable going forward
• Analyst Matt Piscatella described the market as the 'Wild West' in a recent interview
• 'Publishers and developers are trying to find the sweet spot for their pricing,' he explained

Don't expect uniform game prices any time soon, a prominent industry analyst has warned.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Circana executive director of games Mat Piscatella said that prices are "a little Wild West right now."

"We have more variability in launch pricing and strategies than we've ever had. We have a lot of titles trying to kind of nibble at the high end of that market, and we have many more that are launching at lower prices," he continued.

It's not difficult to find examples of the irregularity in game prices these days. A physical copy of Mario Kart World launched at $79.99 / £74.99, while the recent Donkey Kong Bananza was a lower $69.99 / £64.99.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach retailed for $69.99 / £69.99, while a massive role-playing game (RPG) like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, in contrast, cost just $49.99 / £49.99.

"Ultimately, publishers and developers are trying to find the sweet spot for their pricing strategy," Piscatella explained.

"If you look at the games that are pushing that higher end of that price envelope, those are games that have super dedicated fan bases in general, where price sensitivity, particularly at launch, is very low, meaning that people want to play this game no matter what it costs," he added.

"I know a lot of people don't like it, but people still buy these games at these high price points, so they're going to keep getting made at high price points for the right game that can do that."

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• Perplexity says Cloudflare's analysis of its AI crawlers was technically flawed
• There seems to have been a mix-up with a third-party service used by Perplexity
• Perplexity wants Cloudflare to engage in dialogue – not just to post accusations online

Perplexity AI has accused Cloudflare of mischaracterizing its web crawlers as malicious bots after the latter claimed the AI company obfuscated its bot identity using deceptive strings and unexpected IP ranges.

Responding to Cloudflare's analysis and testing, Perplexity declared that analysis was technically flawed and that it misattributed unrelated traffic.

Perplexity has also asserted its traffic is user-driven, not stealth scraping or malicious crawling, suggesting that Cloudflare has misunderstood modern AI assistant behavior.

Cloudflare gets Perplexity all riled up

"It appears Cloudflare confused Perplexity with 3-6M daily requests of unrelated traffic from BrowserBase, a third-party cloud browser service that Perplexity only occasionally uses for highly specialized tasks (less than 45,000 daily requests)," the company wrote in an X post.

Hitting back at Cloudflare's obfuscation claims, Perplexity said the company obfuscated its own methodology, even accusing the company of pulling off a stunt to gain attention.

One of Perplexity's possible explanations reads: "Cloudflare needed a clever publicity moment and we–their own customer–happened to be a useful name to get them one."

"This controversy reveals that Cloudflare's systems are fundamentally inadequate for distinguishing between legitimate AI assistants and actual threats," the post continues.

In the post, Perplexity also offered context about how AI crawlers work: when a user asks a question, the AI agent doesn't retrieve the information from a central database, but rather fetches it in real time from the relevant websites. This contrasts to traditional web crawling, "in which crawlers systematically visit millions of pages to build massive databases, whether anyone asked for that specific information or not."

Moving forward, Perplexity urges Cloudflare to engage in dialogue instead of publishing misinformation about its practices.

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